Collage sketching

collage + watercolor and ink - art journal

Looking through my work lately, it seems my subject matter is all over the place—from landscapes to buildings to figures, from urban sketching to concept art to portraits and abstracts. A not so kind inner voice might go on about how I have no focus (and what the hell are you doing?) but the deeper, much kinder voice tells me to just keep going.

I really can’t claim to know which voice will win, but in the meantime I decided to take yet another turn and play with collage cut outs—if for no other reason that my latest art journal is just pages from being filled and I want to finish it…and yes, for some reason, I felt the need to explore color and shape.

In the end, I always say follow your intuition.

So I cut out a bunch of random shapes from magazines — and also kept the negative space pieces—and then experimented with what are just quick collage sketches. Above, my guy looking over his shoulder (awkwardly peering back over the crease in the two page spread), started just with the shapes—his hands.

Below, I played with botanicals a bit. If I wanted, I think I could take this idea and create much more refined and finished pieces…but I think I might be satisfied with the quick sketches:

4 pages in my art journal - botanical collage sketches

From there, I took the remaining pieces on my desk and made this:

negative magazine cut outs in my art journal

And finally this:

I think that’s my inner critic by the end of the session…what. are. you. doing???

I’m not sure I can say right now—and I’m okay with that.

Captivated by watercolor studies in a whole new way

This is a spread of thumbnail studies in my art journal using photos from my recent trip to Loreto as reference. The idea began with Tansy Hargan’s online class, Finding Your Color Voice, where I learned to do color studies in watercolor—but then I made the exercise my own.

I’m not a landscape artist. I love vistas and views, but when I’m out in the world my eye tends to zoom in to the particulars. Like when I entered the Posado Las Flores on this same trip last week. It was immediate. I had to draw the entryway. I had no real desire to draw the town plaza or the foreign desert landscape all around me.

I do take pictures, though. And I enjoy painting abstracts. And like I said, I’d learned to do color studies.

So one afternoon on the trip I sat down, looked through my photos, and started these watercolor studies in my art journal—and then I finished them this week. I have to say I didn’t know that I would enjoy this kind of abstract work as much as I did! And I really like many of the compositions.

Each column of thumbnails above represents four subjects (from left to to right): Sunrise one morning, a day trip to Mulegé, a small town north of Loreto, views of the backside of Coronado Island (from a boat), and the house we rented during our stay.

So what do I take away from this little exercise—which might help you too?

Start with an idea — in my case, doing watercolor studies as I learned from Tansy. Then add what interests you, which for me is a deep attraction to shapes. And then just start playing in your sketchbook…

Always a good formula for some sketchbook fun—and you never know what you’ll learn.

P.S. I thought you might like to see some of the photo references, so I made some picture collages of each subject:

Sunrise on Thursday morning of the trip - out our back door!

On the way to the small town of Mulegé, two hours north of Loreto:

Here we are in a small boat touring Isla de Coronado, outside Loreto in the Sea of Cortez ( national marine park and UNESCO world heritage site).

As you can see, we stayed in a beautiful home in Loreto! (That’s my brother on the beach.)